Braid Review

All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that.

By Hilary Goldstein

Updated: 12 May 2012 2:42 pm

Posted: 4 Aug 2008 10:18 pm

Braid is the latest in a new movement towards innovation on Xbox Live Arcade. If you have longed for a time when arcade shooters and Vision Cam versions of strip Hold 'em weren't the only offerings on XBLA, then Braid may be your salvation. This strange, wondrous, puzzle/platformer hybrid isn't for everyone. Just the people who like to flex their brain power while holding a controller.

You play as Tim, an unlikely young hero, dressed in a black suit and red power tie. Tim is searching for the Princess who has been abducted by a horrible creature. As we're told early on, "this happened because Tim made a mistake." The story, told in books that precede each of the worlds, is a fairy tale full of melancholy. It's unlike any story you'll see on XBLA, which is fitting as Braid is unlike any game on Xbox 360.

Braid exists in a series of fairy tale worlds, each playing out like a strange dream. Getting from one end of the world to the next is a piece of cake. In fact, you could pretty much run through Braid, from start to finish, in a few minutes. But to complete Braid, you'll need to collect the puzzle pieces strategically positioned in the various rooms of each world. The pieces you collect in a world are then assembled into a small puzzle that reveals a piece of artwork. Completing a puzzle adds a section to a ladder, which leads up to the final world and a confrontation with the beast that stole the Princess. This is the real challenge of Braid -- collecting every puzzle piece and solving the riddle of the final world.

At first, Braid may appear to be a platformer. The first world certainly is more about making jumps than it is about using your noggin. However, the remaining worlds offer complex challenges that rely almost completely on creative solutions to master. Platforming, in fact, is almost inconsequential thanks to Tim's special power. In this fairy tale land, Tim can rewind time with the X button. Missing a jump or being hit by an enemy means little, since you can rewind at any time to reverse your fate. Again, that's not because Braid doesn't want to challenge you, it's because this isn't a game about the dexterity of your digits.

Many of the worlds offer variations on time manipulation. In one of the worlds, you can create a bubble that slows time. This is useful for slowing a cannon's rate of fire or the progression of a descending gate. In another world, you create a doppelganger of Tim. Rewind time, and the doppelganger performs your future actions. This allows you to manipulate the doppelganger in some creative ways. If there's a platform that elevates when you pull a level on the other side of the room, you can use the doppelganger as an assistant. Run from the platform to the lever and pull the lever. Now, rewind time until you are back standing on the platform. Your doppelganger appears and follows your previous course of action, running to the lever and pulling it, thus raising the platform you're on.

There are a myriad of wrinkles aside from the alterations to Tim's time manipulation powers. Anything glowing green is not affected by Tim's time powers. A green key, for example, will remain in Tim's hands once he picks it up, even if he rewinds time. And a green door will remain unlocked even if you rewind time.

Though figuring out the solutions to some of the puzzle pieces can be tough, the payoff is a fast-paced final level that tests your mastering of Tim's abilities. Some may take issue with the resolution to this fairy tale, because the story of Tim and the Princess is bittersweet. Still, the pleasure of tackling Braid's tricky puzzles is satisfaction enough.

The only downside to Braid is its length. This is one short game. Completing the full game will only take a few hours, unless you get really stuck on one of the puzzles. And once you know how to beat each puzzle, there is no reason to come back. The difficulty never scales. Not even the addition of a speed run (can you complete Braid in under an hour?) can do much to retain interest in Braid when the final chapter is read.

Verdict

Xbox Live Arcade needs more games like Braid. Heck, gaming on all platforms needs more titles like this. Imaginative, innovative, and engrossing, Braid is a spectacular achievement. If only the experience lasted a little longer and there weren't as many puzzles with singular solutions. Despite its short length and robust pricing ($15), Braid is definitely worth downloading.